April 03, 2026

April 3, 2026 -- Matthew 27:50 -- Why Did Jesus Die?

April 03, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Matthew 27:50 ESV

The question must be asked, why did Jesus die? He had not sinned in any way. Hebrews teaches “He learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9 ESV). It is one thing to be obedient to God when everything is going well with you and life is easy; it is another thing entirely to be obedient when you suffer, when you are hounded and hated, serving faithfully though hard pressed on every side. Jesus though hounded and hated, served faithfully in every moment of His life and was confirmed as sinless.

All the way back at the start of the Bible, in Genesis, God told Adam and Eve if they ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge and evil, they would die (Genesis 2:17). It is an emphatic statement; you shall surely die. When Adam and Eve ate of that fruit they violated the clear command of God, the boundary He’d set up which was supposed to confirm their life-long obedience. Had they had been confirmed in obedience He would grant them everlasting life. They failed. They rejected God. They had the blessedness of knowing God, walking with Him, living in Eden, and they chose death.

The magnitude of the sin is hard for us to comprehend. We are so mired in sin. So used to the stench of it. So used to dire consequences of it. Swimming in the cesspool of our sins we can hardly begin to know what purity is. The concept of holiness is elusive, no, it is completely foreign to us. God is just, He completely right, in demanding the complete obedience of the people He’d just created. But the mercy of God, oh, that great and incredible mercy, that He cursed Adam and Eve with death, but delayed the sentence of death, giving to Adam and Eve, and all their descendants life, children, abundance.

The sentence of death, the stipulated punishment for humanity’s sin, was fully measured out upon the Person of Jesus Christ. His death appeased the wrath of God. His death is the full and final answer to God’s demand of death for the sinner. His death had been pictured, foretold in all the sacrificed animals of the Old Testament. By the sacrifice of Jesus, His death, we are reconciled to God. Every Old Testament figure who believed in the promise of God offered in Jesus through sacrifice, from Adam and Eve to those in Jesus’ day who died before the death of Jesus, were reconciled to God in Christ. All who believe in Jesus Christ, are reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus, His Son. No wonder this day, when we remember the death of Jesus, is so awe-inspiringly amazing, so humbling, and draws from our lips such gratitude. What is the sign that you truly believe Jesus is the reconciling sacrifice? It is faith that bears the fruit of obedience to Jesus, and this fueled by the power of the in-dwelling Spirit.

https://youtu.be/aoMhT5zBkdE?si=vVMEhDcE0MQsyI5n Redeemer

O FOUNTAIN OF ALL GOOD,
Destroy in me every lofty thought,
break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds,
annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness,
implant in me true lowliness of spirit,
abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence,
open in me a fount of penitential tears,
break me, then bind me up;
thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling for my God;
then can the Father take up his abode in me,
then can the blessed Jesus come with healing in his touch,
then can the Holy Spirit descended in sanctifying grace;
O Holy Trinity, three Persons and one God,
inhabit me, a temple consecrated to thy glory.
When thou art present, evil cannot abide;
in thy fellowship is fullness of joy,
beneath thy smile is peace of conscience,
by thy side no fears disturb,
no apprehensions banish rest of mind,
with thee my heart shall bloom with fragrance;
make me meet, through repentance,
for thine indwelling.
Nothing exceeds thy power,
nothing is too great for thee to do,
nothing is too good for thee to give.
Infinite thy grace, glorious thy saving name.
Let angels sing for
sinners repenting,
prodigals restored,
backsliders reclaimed,
Satan’s captives released,
blind eyes opened,
broken hearts bound up,
the despondent cheered,
the self-righteous stripped,
the formalist driven from the refuge of lies,
the ignorant enlightened,
and saints built up in their holy faith.
I ask great things of a great God.
THE GREAT GOD. THE VALLEY OF VISION. Page 8

April 02, 2026

April 2, 2026 -- Matthew 27:1-2 -- Why is it called "Good" Friday?

April 02, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Matthew 27:1-2
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025).

All the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, that is they acted on their previous scheming to harm Jesus. Those who have been studying Matthew, in our Sunday morning and Wednesday evening studies, will perhaps recall this verse “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, how to destroy Him” (Matthew 12:14). When Jesus had healed the man with the withered hand, the religious leaders of the Jewish people, rather than rejoicing at the mercy of God, decided on the spot to ruin Jesus’ reputation, to kill Him, and disperse His followers (that is all what is meant by ‘destroy Him’).

The verses break into the narrative of Jesus’ inevitable crucifixion; this portion takes place after Jesus’ betrayal, and the trial in a court that was stacked against Him with false witnesses. They prove the religious leadership were well on their way (or so they thought) of accomplishing their mission: destroy Jesus. We need to pause for a moment. It is too easy to think, ‘if I were there, I would have stood up and defended Jesus’. Hmm. Is that really true?

Didn’t you deny Him when you overate? You smoked? You viewed porn. You took a hit. (Insert here your own secret sin.) You knew the truth of the word, your body is the temple of the LORD, your mind is to remain pure in service to Him, but you sinned anyways.
Don’t you deny Him when your bible is right next to you, but instead of reading it, you get busy with the agenda of the day and it happens again, by the end of the day, your bible remains shut. Unread. You have denied Him.
Don’t you deny Him when your adversary at work, the person who drives you nuts and always picks at you, tap-dances on your last frayed nerve and instead of humbling yourself before God and acting with patience, you explode in anger? You have, like all the rest, denied Jesus.
Don’t you deny Him? Think of the times when you knew the right thing to do, what you are Spirit-led to do and instructed by God’s guidance to accomplish, and you leave it undone. You denied Him.

The fact of the matter is, if we were there, we would have crucified the LORD of Glory. By the incredible grace of God, here we are, at this moment of history, sustained by the tremendous grace of God’s Spirit to see the depths of our denials and sins against Jesus, and brought to the place of confession. When we confess our sins, we are agreeing with the word of God, You are right in condemning Me, You are great in Your compassionate mercy, to apply the punishment of my sin to Jesus, and to give me His unblemished record.

We are about to start the Easter weekend. The time when the Christian world acknowledges Good Friday, calling it Good, because God crushed His Son in our place. Punished Him, so that you and I can be set free from God’s proportionate and just wrath against our many sins. It is Good Friday because we pause, lost in wonder in awe at both the massive tangle of sins we carry, and then the immensely greater, stronger, perfect forgiveness which is ours in Christ. Oh, what a cost, the voluntary in our place, death of Jesus. Oh, what a Savior, Who stopped at nothing, even His Own death, so that you and I, at the cost of His blood and His life, are reconciled to God.

https://youtu.be/_oHlAoxMXI4?si=AaezYl4GwbPefT4V Ah, Holy Jesus (hymn starts at 2:31)

O GOD, THE AUTHOR OF ALL GOOD,
I come to thee for the grace another day
will require for its duties and events.
I step out into a wicked world,
I carry about with me an evil heart,
I know that I can do nothing,
that everything with which I shall be concerned,
however harmless in itself,
may prove an occasion of sin or folly,
unless I am kept by thy power.
Hold thou me up and I shall be safe.
Preserve my understanding from subtilty of error,
my affections from love of idols
my character from stain of vice,
my profession from every form of evil.
May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore thy blessing,
and in which I cannot invite thy inspection.
Prosper me in all lawful undertakings,
or prepare me for disappointments;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me,
lest I be full and deny thee
and say, Who is the Lord?
Or be poor, and steal, and take thy name in vain.
May every creature be made good to me by prayer and thy will;
teach me how to use the world, and not abuse it,
to improve my talents,
to redeem my time,
to walk in wisdom toward those without,
and in kindness to those within,
to do good to all men, and especially to my fellow Christians.
And to thee be the glory. Amen.
Morning Needs. The Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Page 218

April 01, 2026

April 1, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:15-16 -- In all the political tumult of this life, see Him, Jesus the Redeemer King

April 01, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

15 By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
16 by me princes rule,
and nobles, all who govern justly. Proverbs 8:15–16
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025).

In this pair of verses, me refers to wisdom. Wisdom exercised in the fear of the LORD is the crown of leaders. The fear of the LORD is pure—that is, the one who fears the LORD, does not toy with sin, nor give allegiance to God in some areas of life, but not others. Wisdom from God is available to all people, from to the least to the greatest who ever lived. Wisdom calls out in all these spheres. The creation declares the wisdom of God. The Word proclaims the wisdom of God. Jesus is wisdom incarnate, that is, in the flesh. Preachers dedicated to God, by their exhortations, declare wisdom. Christians by their way of life, live out wisdom so that others who see them are amazed at their serenity while life deals hard blows.

How does one recognize a good ruler? There was an American election, in 1992, where the successful candidate ran on the tagline: “It’s the economy, stupid”. Nope. That’s not the mark of a good ruler. Nor are platforms like health care, immigration policies, or building the military, the mark of a wise ruler. The Bible shows the quality of a ruler is proved by a fruitful life walking in wisdom guided by the fear of the LORD. Wisdom includes counsel—good advice, advice that leads to a nation experiencing peace (verse 14). The Old Testament is filled with references highlighting the fact that God’s rulers are to be wise, just, have sound counsel exercising their reign in obedience to God.

As you read these attributes, you realize all princes and sovereigns, emperors and prime ministers, rich elites and presidents are so flawed and weak-willed. Seeing wisdom exercised in the fear of the LORD can only, ever, be fully applied to Jesus. During His earthly ministry He was the man who honoured God in His life. He exercised the fear of the LORD with purity and integrity. He ruled with justice. Those who sought judgment, help, peace with God and peace with neighbour turned to Jesus. Regularly the people declared of Jesus, “He teaches with authority” (Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:22, Luke 4:32; John 7:46 et al). Such authority, exercised in both wisdom and the fear of the LORD was a theme of His life. His excellence on earth has been confirmed as He is now seated in splendour and power at the right hand of God, ruling all the nations. He is the Son of God, forever confirmed in His position as King by the authority of God the Father and affirmed by His glorious, earthly obedience to Him. Why does any of this matter?

When believers see earthly Prime Ministers, princes, Governor Generals and Kings ruling with less than perfect wisdom, believers are reminded to pray for their rulers.
When believers see the bad fruit resulting from the laws enacted by governors and prime ministers and princes and trend-setters, one cries out to Jesus, Who is the Ruler above all (Revelation 1:5)
When you experience the impact of bad governance and the pinch of laws that criminalize Christian behavior, with your eyes fixed on Jesus, you are commanded to live as did the saints of old, like Daniel, Stephen, John the Baptist. In the strength of the Holy Spirit, pray to God, trust in the Lordship of Jesus, and be confident that all you are enduring places you in the path of leaders so that your testimony will be heard at every level of life and governance.
When Jesus returns, dear believer, rest assured Jesus will judge all the living and the dead. When Jesus returns He will right every wrong and His rule and His justice will be so perfect, so fitting, so excellent, that believers will shout in praise, and the wicked, though utterly judged and cast to hell, will finally have to declare, in obeisance, “just and true are all Your ways, O King of the Nations” (Revelation 15:3).

Father in heaven, You have appointed Jesus to reign in glory. His earthly life confirmed His purity and utter devotion to You so that His elevation to Kingship in the eyes of the world can only be acclaimed in praise as Your excellent decree. Spirit of the Living God, lead us to be faithful in our prayers for our leaders. Urgent in praying for their salvation. Submitted in our appeals for Your help to lead us in the right paths, though these pathways may well lead us through the darkest of providences. With Job, let our souls declare, “For I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). Amen

https://youtu.be/aoMhT5zBkdE?si=A15hncb1XnsZG-MP “Redeemer”

March 31, 2026

March 31, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:12-13 -- Who are your people: misery or contentment?!

March 31, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025),
Proverbs 8:12–13.

“Misery loves company”. You know that proverb, right? It is quoted so often that you might think it is a bible verse. It isn’t. But it is reflected in these two verses. Look at the vices that are clustered together. Pride. Boasting about oneself, one’s accomplishments, while acting superior to others, is joined to arrogance. Showing off one’s talents, one’s possessions, one’s work, as if this were solely the arrogant person’s own accomplishments which gathered in all this bounty. It is an absolute ignorance of the fact that all you have comes from the LORD. (Work and the ability to work: the gift of God. Inheritance and the gaining of wealth, the gift of God. What do you have that you didn’t receive from God?! I challenge you to think of one good thing in your life that isn’t directly tied to God’s blessing?! I’m waiting.)

Pride and arrogance are partnered together on the evil pathway. Pride and arrogance make one insensitive and insensible to the things of God. While the proud and arrogant people march toward hell, they chatter foolishly, accusingly of others whom they think are inferior, worthless, and worthy of scorn. The evil pathway is so familiar, when you point out to them it is evil, they are shocked. Pride and arrogance will reply: “This is the way of the world, isn’t it? Can the world be wrong?” (So wrong!)

Contentment loves company too! Wisdom is a deep-rooted security anchored in the knowledge of Jesus and profound assurance of His saving work. Wisdom walks with prudence. Those who are prudent are sensible. They are aware of their surroundings. They can interpret the times and recognize where a course of action will lead; so, aware of the goal of complete and contented submission to God, the prudent make decisions based on their commitment to God. Knowledge is more than bare information. Those who are a new creation in Jesus Christ realize that all education and information that is True must find its source in godliness. Knowledge always comes to you with a bias, either tilted away from God, or coming from God. Those who walk with wisdom are eager for knowledge from and of the Holy One.

Contentment loves company too! Wisdom walks with prudence, and they link arms with knowledge and invite discretion into their company. Discretion is the ability to disentangle oneself from awkward situations and to do so with the grace of God. Discretion is desperately needed when believers are walking the way of God. The discrete navigate a path toward Him and do so in a world that hates the very God the discrete are serving. Discretion allows one to know the goal, the purpose for life, simultaneously showing others (who are on the path of evil) how inviting and beautiful is the way of Christ.

The fear of the LORD is the backdrop to all these attributes. If you fear people, then you will bend to every human philosophy, trend and whacko idea. If you fear people, truth is fluid. Your truth, her truth, their truth and at the clash of all these puny truths, the cynical ones in power lead the way. Evil gains the upper hand. The fear of the LORD is bending one’s will to Jesus, Who is Truth. He is the source of Truth. He is the way of Truth. He is Truth that leads to life. One confidently and with contentment follows Truth in Christ knowing that God holds the key to life, to death, and to eternal life after this life is done. The fear of the LORD is submitting every area of life to the lordship of Jesus: finances and sex, marriage and singleness, work and free time, friendships and freedoms.

The fear of the LORD is the cross-roads, the place of decision. Will you try and hold onto a few evil things, some things you justify as “not so bad” while walking in the fear of the LORD? It is impossible. You will be torn apart. Eventually your choice will be revealed as evil all the way. The fear of the LORD is pure (Psalm 19:9). There is no mixture of Truth with evil. When one finally realizes misery and despicable company are the way of destruction and hell, then one will be at the point where the purity of the fear of the LORD will be embraced.

So, dear readers, with whom are you keeping company: misery? Contentment? What is your way of life? Contentment in Christ leads to enjoying the company of other Christians who navigate the hostility of the world in the sure knowledge that Jesus the King, the Captain of Salvation, is leading His hosts to victory. The battle is fierce, but the outcome is sure.

King Jesus, I confess how often I wear the armour of a Christian, but toy with the things of the enemy. I confess how easily I totter. Thank You for the clarity of Your Word. Thank You for the instruction of the Holy Spirit. Spirit of the Living God, dig deeply into the place where I make daily decisions and there, at the source of my actions, cleanse me so that wisdom that is found in Jesus will be the motivating factor in all of my life. Wisdom and prudence, knowledge and discretion will guide me all under the banner of the fear of the LORD, so that fellow believers in Christ will be the ones in whom is all my delight. Faithful Father, let this way of life shine for Your glory and be so compelling that those who’d been in misery’s company, will be drawn to this new way of life. Amen.

https://youtu.be/9zGbdg1YCYY?si=bMU6IFvPvjLVS7mh Afflicted Saint, to Christ Draw Near

March 30, 2026

March 30, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:10-11 -- Greatest treasure: wisdom

March 30, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
Proverbs 8:10-11 ESV

Instruction, which over the long term of receiving it, is discipline in following the ways of the LORD; and knowledge which comes from the LORD leads a man to desire to know more about God and His ways. Together instruction and knowledge forge wisdom in the life of a godly person. Wisdom is the expression of instruction and knowledge which have accrued over a lifetime.

Instruction is like silver. It has value and is not common. Knowledge is even more valuable, as the writer compares it to gold. What is of greater value than both? Jewels. Wisdom is a jewel that ever increases in value. There is no short-cut to wisdom. One must continually be instructed in the word of God. The Spirit leading the godly person to implement all the wise instruction so that by this persistent teaching he is laser-focused on his purpose of serving God. Knowledge can make a believer proud and thus become misdirected godliness (which has no value). Appropriate knowledge of the Holy One leads the believer to know the majesty of God, and His saving work, humbling the believer making him even more open, hungrier for more of God.

Luke records that Jesus “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:40). Wisdom is gained through experience. Trial. Suffering. Having one’s desires submitted to God. As the writer of Proverbs shows in these verses, instruction must proceed wisdom. Constant, faithful, daily, godly instruction. Then as one grows, there is a hunger for more instruction, as one matures, this instruction becomes knowledge. Knowledge integrates the teaching received, so that one can discern right from wrong, and right from nearly right.

Jesus, as a lad, stayed in the temple, listening to the teachers there. That is a key point. Too often those who are supposed to be instructed, want to hear themselves talking. Instruction that leads to knowledge must ask questions and listen at length to the answers given. Hear what was said. Ponder it. Fully taking it in and digesting it. Luke then notes, at the end of Jesus’ childhood, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

Those who are believers in Jesus Christ have been made new. Their sins forgiven. Their thinking and reasoning are purified from the contamination of sin and their warped-away-from-God, naturally occurring desires are straightened. Thus, believers are, by the Spirit’s power, able to submit their will and desires to bring them in line with God’s ways. It is only after a man or a woman yields their whole self in submission to God, that such a person can receive instruction, grow in knowledge and gain wisdom. As you read, instruction, knowledge and wisdom are the greatest treasures of this life, only acquired by those who belong to Jesus and are kept humble, teachable before Him by the Holy Spirit.

Father in heaven, I confess I have not considered instruction, knowledge and wisdom as the greatest treasures that I could receive. I have pursued selfish purposes, worldly gain, and things in this life which quickly fade away. Instruction, knowledge and wisdom are treasures that can not be stolen; these are precious as they serve to increase my walk with You, grow greater joy in Christ and lead to fuller reliance on the Holy Spirit. Oh God, forgive me for the many times I have been too proud to be instructed. As Jesus taught, so I pray: ‘Father, may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’; Father, help me to walk in Your will, and in Your ways. Amen.

https://youtu.be/clqdCXxqYvI?si=XBA2QIdWiGLKHYe9 Be Thou My Vision

March 28, 2026

March 28, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:1-4 -- Can you hear it? Wisdom is calling you

March 28, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma - hear and obey Jesus!

Does not wisdom call?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights beside the way;
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
“To you, O men, I call,
and my cry is to the children of man.” Proverbs 8:1-4 ESV

The answer to the first two questions of this series of proverbial sayings is, “yes”! Wisdom does call. Yes, understanding raises her voice! The Holy Spirit in you moves your conscience so that you are reminded to read the word—that is wisdom’s call. The Christian friends you have ask you about your bible reading and your walk with God—that is the raised voice of understanding asking you to examine your ways. All around you are the invitations to go deeper in your relationship with God.

On the mountain tops and in life’s decisions (at the crossroads) wisdom and understanding invite you to ask of God what is best, what is right, what is true? In Bible times the elders, judges and wise men sat at the city gates. If anyone had a question or a dispute, they could go to the leaders and get answers. If you are struggling in your walk with Jesus Christ, the invitation is there for you to get godly advice and help from the leaders of God’s people.

Earlier in Proverbs it seemed as if wisdom’s invitation was rejected (Proverbs 1:20-27). The good news is that our faithful Father is persistent in His lovingkindness and compassion toward His wayward people. Today’s passage proves that. There is a renewed invitation to find wisdom and understanding. An appeal to leave sinful ways may seem right in your own eyes but are leading you to death and destruction.

While there is opportunity, and you are beginning to realize how huge, varied, and able to escape your casual self-introspection your sins really are, throw yourself on the mercy God. This passage today shows you God’s reconciling love proved to you in Jesus Christ. Leave sinful ways. Flee temptations to sin. Reject your peers’ invitation to sin (these often seem innocent, or at least not terrible, but come with hidden barbs and poisonous implications). While there is time, and opportunity, hear the urgent appeal of the LORD to leave the ways of death and hell. Through reading the Bible, plus the advice of mature, godly Christian friends, and the grace of preaching, let the Holy Spirit direct you to grow and mature in Jesus Christ.

Our Father in heaven, Your word teaches “^There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”. I must confess how often that has proven to be true in my own life. By Your Spirit, graciously, generously poured out into my life, let me once again hear wisdom’s call and answer. Let the voice of understanding flood my mind and grant me the relief of turning from sin and waywardness and being restored in Jesus. Teach me Your way, O Lord, because I know how loud the cries and pleadings and allurements of world are, the very coy invitations which seek to drown out wisdom’s voice and lead me astray. Thank You, God of lovingkindness and mercy, for Your persistent grace, and wide-open arms of mercy. Amen.
^Proverbs 14:12
https://youtu.be/24t3XMSSpyM?si=poxqg8A3TMzBPvTg O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

March 26, 2026

March 26, 2026 -- II Peter 1:16-21 -- Faith Comes by Hearing

March 26, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 2 Peter 1:16–21.

Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17) and that point is emphasized here as well by the Apostle Peter. Though he was an eyewitness to the transfiguration of Jesus, seeing His glory, he heard the voice of God “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. Peter urges his readers then, and us today, to hear the prophetic word. Read the Bible. Attend church and hear the Bible read and explained. Know that word of God read and preached are means of grace.

Means of grace, what a strange expression, what it that? It is a technical phrase, used through-out church history, to describe how believers are fed and nourished in the Christian faith. Faith is fed by the Word of God. It is living and active (that’s what the writer of Hebrews teaches). That means the Bible exposes weakness. The Bible feeds knowledge. The Bible informs worship. The Bible teaches believers how to hear from and believe in Jesus. (The other means of grace are baptism, Lord’s Supper, preaching, the Sabbath—the celebration of Jesus each Sunday).

Many people flock to see “great worship events” where there are Christian-rock bands and a fiery preacher who spends more time on miracles and wonders, than on really explaining the word. The emphasis is on spectacle, rather than in hearing the word read and explained. Here is the problem. I remember, the Spring of 1997, waking up my son Adrian to see the Halley-Bopp Comet. It passes by the earth once every 2,534 years. So, it was epic. I am not sure my son remembers it. We question what we see. What we see is fleeting. However, hearing, telling and hearing what is retold embeds what we’ve heard deep into our hearts.

Peter urges believers to hear the prophetic word from the Bible. It will shine as a lamp into the darkness of our hearts. As the word is spoken and heard, preached and heeded, the listener’s soul experiences the knowledge of Jesus Christ as the brightness of the first rays of dawn, which pierce the darkness and promise ever greater light. As Jesus is heard through the Bible and the preaching of the word, He is like the light of the morning star rising within you, illuminating your faith and captivating you by His brilliance. Read the Bible with anticipation. Read the Bible expecting to hear the Truth which lights up your life.

Father in heaven, thank You for the means of grace by which we can know Jesus. Jesus, Who has been designated by You as the One Who draws us from the chains of sin to the glorious freedom of forgiveness and we are named Your beloved sons and daughters. Spirit of the Living God, teach us to read and listen to Scripture until it moves us from being merely dutiful readers, to becoming eager hearers of the word. Let that word shine within us the bright dawn of the new day illuminated by Jesus, the bright morning sun of life, Whose brilliance will ever increase within us. Amen.

https://youtu.be/BXWvis6Xk1w?si=qizKtnBs0bs0f5gO Jesus, Thank You

March 25, 2026

March 25, 2026 -- I Thessalonians 5:18 -- Getting filled with thankfulness

March 25, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I Thessalonians 5:18 ESV

A friend recommended I read the book “God is God and I’m Not” (by Timothy Witmer). I was so inspired by these words, and challenged, I had to share.
One of the reasons we fail to remember God’s goodness is that
the goodness of God can become “normal.” Arthur Pink writes:
Gratitude is the return justly required from the object of His
beneficence; yet it is often withheld from our great Benefactor
simply because His goodness is so constant and abundant. It is
lightly esteemed because it is exercised toward us in the common
course of events. It is not felt because we daily experience it.
Witmer, page 47

We are so used to getting blessings from God, that we take them for granted. We might regularly pray ‘give us this day our daily bread’ but neglect to thank God for the fact we have food, clothes, shelter. This is the great sin of thanklessness. Spending a few minutes recalling what we have received from God should lead to amazement, thankfulness, and wonder; all of these lead us to worship God, the Source of every good gift we have. The greatest divine act that should drive us to constant thankfulness is the fact our Father in heaven has rescued us from His just wrath, saved us from hell, and given us new life in Christ. I am guessing many of us do not spend much time contemplating the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His great mercy toward us, if we did, we’d be people who constantly offer thanks to God!

Paul, writing the Corinthians, challenged them with these words (which cut away all self-satisfaction), “What do you have that you did not receive” (I Corinthians 4:7). Let’s face it, anything we have in this life is a gracious gift from the Fatherly hand of God. Even the hardships of our life are from Him, to wean us from sin and suited to shape us in holiness. I challenge you today, give thanks to God. Through-out the day, think of as many specific reasons as you can, and as you think of them, offer a prayer of thanks.

Father in heaven, by the influence of Your Spirit move me to offer words of thanks and praise to You, for all I have received through Jesus, Your Beloved Son, my Savior. Amen.

https://youtu.be/D_35IPrjzq8?si=IdcOhjJ8VdGWWxRd Jesus, Thank You

March 23, 2026

March 23, 2026 -- Proverbs 7:6-9 -- Spotting the seeds of temptation to sin

March 23, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit’s power: Sh’ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
and I have seen among the simple
I have perceived among the youths
a young man lacking sense,
passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
Proverbs 7:6-9 ESV

The book of Proverbs continually warns the young, the old, the wise and the simple against the wiles of sexual sin. It makes sense. Solomon wrote the Proverbs. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. There is a stark change in the life of Solomon; at the start of his reign is it reported “Solomon loved the LORD” (I Kings 3:3), but later in his reign “King Solomon loves many foreign women” (I Kings 11:1). If the man so blessed by the LORD that he had an understanding mind to govern the people of God (I Kings 3:9) could have his heart turn to sin by the women he loved, how much more, ordinary folks such as you and I must guard ourselves against any temptation toward sexual sin?!

Notice the descent into sin. First the simple man passes by the street of the forbidden woman. He knows she’s there; her house is obvious. Next, he is making excuses to take the road to her house, unnecessarily passing by it in order to carry on his day’s labour. You know the seed of sin is growing within him. Sin is like that. Unless one plucks up and immediately tosses away the seed of sin, it will take root and start growing a nefarious plan within you.

He is sinking even lower as the bright daylight begins to give way to evening. At twilight he is still hesitating, the growing temptation could be resisted, but it is allowed to grow. At night he hasn’t made a commitment to sin, but it is closer. In the darkness, the adulteress meets him. She’s watched the slow, burning, growing, progression toward sin and when it was obvious the time was ripe, she went out to seal the deal.

What a graphic description of sin. It is a brief temptation, not immediately denounced. It is a thought that lingers. It is an idea that is contemplated, justified, and finally boldly pursued. The believer is called to purity. The believer is called to obedience to Jesus Christ.

First, because Jesus has supplied the reconciling grace for the believer, a believer in life-long thankfulness to Jesus, chooses to live for Him.
Second, life in Christ involves cultivating purity in the thoughts, the intentions, and the plans of the heart.
Third, a deep commitment to Jesus will motivate believers to pluck out the insidious seedlings of sins that would take deep root in the place where desires form to influence your thoughts. The Holy Spirit Who lives in the believer will shine the light of Scripture to the places of forming desires where you are straying from whole-hearted obedience to Jesus. You have every opportunity to squash the inclination to sin before it becomes huge, deep-rooted, and hard to dig out completely.

Father in heaven, keep me from the evil, which is always crouching at my door, ready to ambush me. By Your Spirit, let the light of Your Word show me both the vileness of the lurking seeds of temptation and the ruination that such sin would unleash so that in the strength of the Spirit I will pick each one up and toss it away. Then with hand, soul, and heart let me continually, morning, noon, and night, willingly, serve You. Amen.

https://youtu.be/0nnkkra4FwY?si=XT6mnbqBg64WZ20S Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord")

March 22, 2026

March 22, 2026 -- Matthew 11:29 -- Jesus' invitation

March 22, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and your will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:29 ESV

We learn from Jesus. But He is so completely different from your experience with anyone else in the world, that such learning is not automatic. So He offers the invitation as a command: “learn from me”. The word ‘learn’ means to decipher what it is He is teaching. Learning from Him is a puzzle because you have no one else and nothing else to which you can compare Him. He is so beyond the realm of your ordinary life experience. To learn from Him requires the powerful presence of the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, you can’t fathom Him at all. Sorting out what He teaches, compared to what the world teaches, media teaches, school teaches, the workplace teaches, or the government teaches requires profound attention. You must constantly be straining to hear Him above all the noise and clamour of the worldliness all around you.

Jesus gives a self-description. His invitation includes the reason why coming to Jesus, turning away from the world and turning to Jesus is so easy. He is gentle. He is not accusatory. He is not condemning. He is not harsh. He already knows that you know you need a Savior. He already knows His life’s purpose is to go out to the lost sheep, the wounded ones, and the cornered ones who fight Him at every step. But His gentleness disarms you. His gentleness invites you to intimacy with the Lord of the Universe.

More even than this, Jesus is humble in heart. The expression lowly in heart is a wonderfully descriptive phrase. If you think about it for a minute and you’ll understand what He is communicating. If you’ve offended someone, really hurt them, you know they’re like a towering wall, strong and impenetrable, formed against you. You’ll lose your voice before you ever get a hearing. Jesus is lowly in heart. When you are ready to turn to Him, all you have to do is step over the low wall. He has been removing every hindrance; every brick of reasoning you’ve been piling up against Him. It is a mere step. It is a simple lifting of the foot to get past that line between you both and find in Him rest that is sure, lasting, and sweet.

The rest for your souls is first like the refreshment a nap gives you. You can rise and accomplish the work you must do. You have been reenergized. Second the rest found in Jesus is like the healing reconciliation achieved after long months of conflict. Suddenly there is understanding and healing and this motivates the reconciled persons to spend time together, making up for lost time. The rest you receive is a foretaste of heaven. When Jesus returns, with all His holy ones, there will be eternal rest—no more battles with sin and temptation. Sin will be no more. You will be perfected in the righteousness of Christ, and it will be your joy, through all eternity, to delight in God the Father, God the Son your Savior, God the Spirit Who continually increases your capacity to receive all the rich blessings of eternity.

Father in heaven, thank You for the gift of Jesus, Your Son, our Rescue Story. Spirit of God, tune up my heart and increase my mental and spiritual focus so that I will be drawn to the Bible, ready to learn from Jesus. Triune God, grant me this glorious rest pictured here in this passage. Amen.

https://youtu.be/T6V_fc5a3nY?si=Sf6vyEMNSQEwC2m- Safely Through Another Week

March 21, 2026

March 21, 2026 -- Proverbs 7:1-5 -- Armed and ready for the inevitable temptation

March 21, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words.
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Proverbs 7:1–5.

Spring is here…though with the amount of snow we’re getting here in Moncton today, it still feels like the clutches of winter have a stranglehold. Soon however, the weather will warm up. Inevitably people will shed layers of clothing; it is a season where many people struggle with lust because so much more skin is exposed. Especially in our day and in this culture where modesty is considered prudishly old fashioned. Why mention this? Well, Proverbs offer strong, repeated, and timely warnings against adultery.

Notice the parallel structure, keep the words of the father and keep his commandments, and keep them as the apple of your eye so that by them you will be kept from the forbidden woman. She is forbidden because she will go after the married man. Men and women can not claim to be uninformed. They are repeatedly warned in the Scriptures and given all the necessary equipping against the attacks of lust. She is forbidden to the single man who is commanded to remain pure unto the Lord until he is married. This woman shamelessly lures her unwary male victim into sin.

In our culture and time, there are so many sexual variations to this forbidden woman. Movies and media celebrate men luring other men. Women alluring women, and so on. There is celebration of sexual curiosity which seductively invites you to explore any form of sexuality. Sexual curiosity is presented as cost and consequence free expressions of self. Don't be stupid. It is the path of self-destruction and death. The Bible sets the standard of love and godly sexuality by which one can find true blessedness.

Why does the Bible set our standard? Because our Father in heaven, Who made us, has the right to determine how we are to live and how our life serves to bring Him glory. Jesus’ life on earth, lived amid all the wicked temptations which are familiar to us today, was perfect and holy. That is why He is the sacrifice Who, at the cross, took upon Himself, God’s punishment against our sin. The Spirit of God is given to all who are in Christ, so that all temptations to sin can be thrown down and defeated.

Another note, the invitation to sexual wickedness will be a provocative call. The wily adulteress will approach you. The sin-sickened male given over to his sin by God, will seek to entice you. Sin is the aggressor. Men and woman trapped in the vile evil of their ways willingly plan how to bring you down into their sin.

Think how you protect your eye, from pokes, from dust, from all harm. As much as you protect your eye, so you must protect your heart, preparing its defenses against all forms of adultery. The commands of God and His teaching (teaching means the right direction in which we are to travel) must be so precious to us that by them we are protected against any intrusion or temptation. Wisdom will be for your mind and soul an intimate friend; friend, what a beautiful description of what happens when the commandments of God have, over the course of decades, became familiar and dear to us. These very commandments and teachings draw us closer to God, the Giver of these instructions.

Please note, I have been intentional in using the Lord’s Prayer today. By it Jesus instructed His followers to know their sins, however great and heinous, can be forgiven. It is the reason the Father is hallowed, that is honoured and declared the sourced of blessing> He is hallowed precisely because He has given us Jesus, the One through Whom all our sins, trespasses, have been forgiven. In Jesus’ Name, we are made new and treasure up the commandments of God. His will is done, on earth as it is in heaven, through the work of the Holy Spirit, poured out into the lives of believers. The Spirit prompts us to treasure up the commands of God and works the teaching into the deepest places of our decision-making and impulses so that we are kept from wily adulteresses and adulterers.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name,
Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

https://youtu.be/jWHssWNwu5s?si=KEDldYuhW49GknA8 Rushing Wind

March 19, 2026

March 19, 2026 -- Proverbs 6:20, 23a -- Godly instruction from father and mother

March 19, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light…
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Pr 6:20, 23a.

Maybe, like me, you’ve had a tendency to exaggerate. For example, when repeating an instruction to my recalcitrant child, I’d exclaim “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times…” The point is, repeated instructions are necessary when training up a child in the way he should go. Humbling, but true, even as adults, we know the good way, we know the truth Jesus commands us to obey, and yet we swerve away from it. We need the repeated instructions of a faithful father and the teaching of a righteous mother as these are expressed in Scriptures.

Interestingly, even this brief passage is radical. It speaks of parents as, one man, one woman, to the exclusion of all others. Marriage is honorable. It is the building block of society by which covenant children are raised in the knowledge of the LORD. No wonder society at large seeks to break down the blessing of marriage by encouraging rebellion in children, teaching sexually violent theories in public schools. Society attacks marriage by legalizing all kinds of perversions and variants of sexual coupling and calling it marriage. The Bible is radical in today’s world; as radical as it has always been.

A father’s commandment is instruction in of the word of God. Notice at verse 23 the value of such instruction: it is a lamp. This foreshadows the teaching of Jesus. All godly commandments are anchored in the Truth of Jesus. Again, this is considered radical in our world precisely because unbelieving people want autonomy. The problem is an unbelieving person is a tyrant, whose dictates are self-destruction, fueled by the fires of hell. Even men and women who profess a living faith in Jesus must battle the insurgent tendencies arising within which rebel against the good we know. That is why Christians who mess up must be ready to fess up; that is what integrity looks like.

“The mother’s teaching” in the original language is the mother’s Torah. The Torah is the name used for first five books of the Old Testament. Torah is also, in other contexts, the expression of the right direction. Such teaching, such Torah is light. Jesus picks up these references in Proverbs 20 and 23; He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12 ESV). The rules and statutes and laws and commandments of God are not boring. They set the course of one’s life, making sure the godly one's heading is aimed directly towards Jesus. Making the commandments and teaching of the LORD your chosen path means you are interacting with the LORD Who made you, loves you, and intends what is best for you in all things.

LORD of Commandment and Love, by the presence of Your Spirit help me to see that Your laws show me my sin, lead me to find forgiveness in Christ, and guide me in grateful living. Forgive me for thinking about Your laws and commands in the abstract, as if they are not fundamentally tied into Your best intentions for me, Your child. Spirit, lead me in the way of Truth, then my walk with God truly will be endless praise and thanksgiving. Amen.

https://youtu.be/FSHe-kibZDg?si=9pDRcKsE76WUobPM Teach Me Your Way, O Lord

March 17, 2026

March 17, 2026 -- Proverbs 6:6-11 -- What Can I learn from an Ant? Seriously?!

March 17, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
    consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
    officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer
    and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.
Proverbs 6:6-11 ESV

Sluggard. What a descriptive word that is. A lazy person. A slothful person. A sleepy person. I’ve usually heard the text above applied to people who aren’t working hard, but hardly working. It makes sense. If you are not prepared to work, and to put strength into it, you will be financially poor. Dig deeper.

Think of this passage as applied to one who is learning to walk with God. The laws, and precious promises, and commands of God are all meant to be food for the soul. A lazy person misses out on opportunities to feast on the word of God. When the time is ripe and there are opportunities to read and pray, he is sleeping. He is folding his hands and doing nothing. The result is this: when hard times comes (and believe you me, they always do!), and he desperately needs the promises, the assures and the guidance of the Word, he will have nothing stored up in his heart and mind. He will be impoverished regarding the Word of God.

Are you a spiritual sluggard? Are you lazy regarding the things of God? You meant to read the Bible, but you scrolled through videos instead. You are planning on spending time in prayer but find hours have gone by as you’ve been watching sports, or playing video games, (or you fill in your favorite time waster). You meant to listen to a podcast explaining something about the faith, but you didn’t. In fact, you can’t even explain what you did with your time. You just didn’t spend it with God. The glorious rescue that is yours in Jesus Christ is not amazing wondrous to you. You haven’t taken hold of relationship with Him. Today’s passage is teaching you: if you don’t stand with Him, you’ll fall for anything.

The poverty of your soul will hit you to moment you have a hard decision to make, and you realize you have no depth of character. The poor condition of your soul will hit you upside the head like a smack when you hear a bad report and realize you are so far from God that you doubt. “Will He ever hear me?” you endlessly question. Even if He might hear you, you don’t know how to pray. How to reach out to Him.

Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to renew your vows and walk with God. Today is the day, having been warned by this passage, to start anew and recommit to your Bible reading time. The goal is not to tick a box and say, “See, I read the Bible”. The goal is to know Jesus. The whole Bible is about Him; He brings you to the Father in heaven as a beloved son or daughter. I challenge you, how much will you read every day? A chapter a day? A chapter in the Old Testament and a chapter in the New Testament a day? Okay. Write it down somewhere. Make a commitment to this and tell someone. Believe you me, the Spirit of God delights to fill you with the word of God

What about spending time in prayer? If you have lost your ability to pray, before reading the Bible, pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Read the Bible. Then end by praying a psalm. Yes, the psalms are prayers to help the people of God learn to grow in their communication with our King! Tell someone about your decision. Hold yourself accountable on this.

Father in heaven, I confess how lazy I am. How slow to obey I have been. I can’t even keep track of how often I’ve promised to spend time with You, only to find the day, the week, or the month has slipped by and I can’t recall what I did…but I didn’t grow in my walk with You. Spirit of God, by Bible reading and prayer, lead me to Jesus. Help me to find an accountability partner who will ask me about this commitment so that I will be more inclined to do what I am pledging. God, You are worthy of this. God, You are great, and the source of anything that is Good in my life; as I read and pray, open my eyes to this Truth. Amen.

https://youtu.be/u_ZWEO36jok?si=kNkuWulNC61OX0vx Forgiven

March 16, 2026

March 16, 2026 -- Proverbs 5:21-23 -- A pinprick of evil and the consequences

March 16, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,
and he ponders all his paths.
The iniquities of wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast by the cords of his sin.
He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray.
Proverbs 5:21-23 ESV

Where are you headed? What you might be excusing as “no big deal” is in fact a sin that will lead you far from your goal of serving Jesus. Can you see it? Do you understand how one misstep leads to a completely different destination? That misstep is sin. It is a conscious choice made without considering the long-term consequences. But the passage is a warning. It is written so that believers will consider their choices, words, and their actions.

Sins that are in a very early stage, and freely chosen, soon become like binding ropes or chains. The first puffs of a vape might be voluntary, but soon, the body craves it. What was a little pull, soon becomes an addictive chain. The first sin in a chain is usually so small. It takes spiritual discernment. What began as a little compromise, or a tiny deviation from a parent’s godly instruction soon becomes a flood of wickedness. There are no such things as “little sins”. Consider a balloon filled with water. A pinprick to the balloon will cause the water to explode out as much as a stick or a bullet hitting it. That little pinprick into evil unleashes far more than you realize or ever wanted.

Discipline is the key. I like how someone once described discipline as the tide coming into a harbor. It doesn’t just raise one boat—the tide raises them all. If you imagine discipline in one area of your life as a tide, you’ll see other, unexpected areas affected as well. For example, your decision to spend more time in exercising will likely lead you to reconsider eating a second dessert. You realize how much more you’ll need to exercise just to burn the calories, and you decide it is not worth it. Discipline teaches you to weigh consequences.

Your walk with Jesus Christ is the right path. Wisdom instructs you to follow Him with all your heart, mind, soul. Loving Jesus means you aren’t looking for ways to avoid doing the things He commands. A man in love with his wife will anticipate her desires and have that coffee ready for her before she even asks. A soldier who admires his Captain and is fiercely loyal leaps up to obey His every command. That’s what it’s like for believers who know Jesus, the Captain of Salvation. His commands are not burdensome. Out of deep devotion to Him Who rescued them from the wrath of God against sin, believers love Him, jumping up to do everything He commands.

O Glorious God Who hears the prayers of His people, thank You for the rich and beautiful salvation You have lavished on Your people through Jesus, the Captain of Salvation. Forgive us for our lazy obedience, and many times we calculate how far we can creep away from You and still stay within the range of Your love. Spirit of the Living God, revive in us a profound thankfulness for all that we have received in Christ so that we are motivated so serve our God promptly and sincerely. Amen.

https://youtu.be/o-ImfnUqWxg?si=DoIOJQccDKmamGCl All Praise To Him

March 15, 2026

March 15, 2026 -- John 15:15 -- Jesus, Friend

March 15, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15 ESV

Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ—take a moment and think about a dear friend you have in your life. According to the latest neuroscience research, your brain lights up whenever you interact with your close friend. A coffee chat or a meal, or an unexpected meeting, a hug—these interactions with your friend flood your brain with feel good chemicals. God designed you that way. He made you for relationship with Himself. He made you to delight in relationships with other Christians. Even non-Christians are greatly blessed by the gift of good friends—it is the generosity of our glorious God. He showers the people of the earth with rich and mighty blessings so that they might turn to Him in awe and thankfulness.

Now, consider the intimacy of relationship Jesus offers to you, His follower. He offers you friendship. What a massive blessing. One of the blessings of friendship is the desire to know more about the person you love. Newfound friends often spend a huge amount of time on the phone, in person hanging out, because there is great joy in learning more about this person who has captured your attention. Your soul will light up at knowing Jesus!

Jesus has made known to you all that He heard from the Father. What a vast, glorious, wonderful, and infinite store of information is at your fingertips. Read the Bible. Get to know Jesus. Attend church and hear about the rich storehouse of blessings that are yours in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to pour into your life more, more of Jesus. Life in Christ is extraordinary, savour Him, rejoice in knowing Him. He really is the Light of Life.

Father in heaven, thank You for the tremendous gift of Jesus, Your Son, our Savior. Thank You that knowing You is not merely an intellectual exercise. Knowing You is what life is all about. Spirit of God, help me to deeply and truly know Jesus. Spirit of God, the Bible teaches me that Jesus is not merely a historical figure, or an intellectual exercise, He is the key figure of all history, living today in the splendour in heaven, yet inviting me to know Him as friend. Stir up in me a holy hunger to be more connected to Jesus and way more intentional in my life with Him. Amen.

https://youtu.be/BY6VAy9y_iQ?si=qokX2WQoY0xl0VD3 Jesus, Friend of Sinners

March 14, 2026

March 14, 2026 -- Luke 6:27-28 -- Whatdja mean I gotta love my enemies?

March 14, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
Luke 6:27-28 ESV

You are probably very familiar with these words. Especially if you have attended church for a long time. These are words that show up at over twenty-five places in the Bible. These are not just tucked away in an obscure place, this is the hard teaching through-out the Bible that requires you to stir up your soul from lethargy and your great complicity to the culture. To love your enemies is to put to death your easy hatred of the people groups and biases of the society which you live in. To love your enemies means you are actively praying for those people who oppose you. Urgently appealing to God for the very people who would put you in prison, if they had the power to do so. You are looking for ways to be kind to those who take every opportunity to undercut you, mock you, or worse.

Be honest, it is hard enough to love the people in your life who are part of your church or part of your social network. Many of you are in a bubble, surrounded by many Christians, or those who are Christian in name. Such people are part of your family. Or at your workplace. Or members of your sports team. There are over-bearing people. There are glory-hogs. There are self-interested people that you must see periodically because they’re married into your family. But these are not enemies. These are folks who are naturally part of your life’s circle of influence and people you are required to get along with.

Enemies are those foremost who hate Jesus, Who is the lover of your soul, your Savior. An enemy is someone who hates Jesus (though he might never use such strong language.) An enemy is seeking to be his own savior. Or find salvation in good works. Or in philosophy. Or in acquiring wealth. Or in philanthropy. Enemies are those who have both power and influence and are actively hating God. Since they can’t tweak God’s nose, they are actively hating His people. They would be shocked at your language and that you think of them in such a way.

How did God bring you to Himself? While you were still His enemy He sent Jesus into the world. While His own people acted as if He were a stranger, a usurper, Jesus served, offering up Himself in complete obedience to His Father, for a people who willing despised Him and crucified Him. It is too easy to say, “If I were there, I’d have acted differently.” Would you? Really? What about the times, like Peter, when someone asked you about your faith, and you didn’t have the time to answer. Or were embarrassed to answer? Or you didn’t want to get into an argument, so you soft-played your faith? Be honest. You were an active enemy and if you are truly a Christian, your past behavior embarrasses and pains you. Even now, you realize how weak you are in your faith and ready to defend yourself, lash out at others, or act in ways that are opposed to your confession.

Be humbled by the grace of God. Amazed at His patient, persistence in rescuing you. If God takes someone like you, and brings you to Himself through Jesus Christ, and guards you as His own through the power of the Holy Spirit (think of it, you can’t even stay faithful to God through your own merits or strength or faith! It is all God!) then how much more ought you to love your enemies with the glorious, urgent-prayer-filled-expectation, that perhaps one day they will join you in blessing our God and king?!
Faithful God, give me a holy hunger to

pray at every opportunity for those who hate Jesus and therefore hate me
speak no ill of those who are in government over me, but honour such men and women as those whom You’ve appointed to such positions
work for the good of those who would just as soon spit on me, ignoring the insult, knowing it is You, Jesus, Who I am serving.

Spirit of God, help me to examine all my motives, my impulses and reasons for acting so that I will be guarded in the purity of the righteousness that is mine in Christ.
Spirit of God, fill my heart and mind with the glorious salvation so richly lavished on me, a reluctant, unworthy, convert so that the breathlessly wonderful redemption that is mine in Christ will move me to fervently love Him, expressing this love in my love to neighbour and love to enemies.
Even as I am praying this, I am struggling. My rebellious heart and anxious mind wail, “But I can’t do this! It is too hard!” Calm my tremulous mind with the peace that passes understanding, the peace anchored in Jesus Himself, Who has placed me in the care of my Father in heaven, in Whose hand I am safe. No angel or demon, life or death, prosperity or poverty, prison or persecution can ever separate me from the love of God which is mine in Christ Jesus! Knowing this, propel me to live it. Amen.

https://youtu.be/D_35IPrjzq8?si=A5vF-2lIcULZwQqz Jesus, Thank You

March 12, 2026

March 12, 2026 -- Proverbs 5:3-14 -- Sin and Restoration

March 12, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol;
6 she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless,
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.”
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Proverbs 5:3–14.

The big question folks always ask is: why? Why do I have to keep the ways of the LORD? Why do I have to be wise? Why do I have to be a man of discretion who guards knowledge? Here is a very practical example of why wisdom is so important. A fool will immediately welcome a chance to have sex with a willing woman. A fool will find the honeyed words of a wayward woman to be sweet, the oils and perfumes of her body to be alluring, but intimacy with her leads to ruin. Regret. At best you will be a laughingstock, at worst you’ll be diseased, going to death.

Be clear, the curse of Adam and Eve’s Fall, their sinful rebellion against God is clearly laid out here. Ungodly women will seek to entrap men in sex. Foolish men will be ravenous for sex. Sex is celebrated in our world. All kinds of deviations and perversions of it rock our world. Notice the impact of sexual activity that is outsides the bounds of God-ordained sexuality (which is one man, one woman to the exclusion of all others). When sex is an act of sin, it results in:

A shift from merely thinking about sinning, to plunging in expecting you’ll have a honey of a time; only to realize how foolish you were blowing up your life
Regret as bitter as wormwood (a very distasteful plant)
A sword which uncontrollably wounds, slices, cuts away what is good in your life
Death for the woman and death to men who used her
Being taken off the path of life, and being left aimless, wounded, and foolish
Giving away your good reputation
Honour trampled to the ground
Bearing the merciless, painful taunts of others
Helplessness and defenseless when strangers torment you about your past sin
You groan with grief that can’t be assuaged
Your flesh is consumed by the diseases of her prostitution
Your mind is eaten up by regret, sorrow, and fear of exposure
You will wrestle with regret…even as you are tempted to go back to your sin
You will have the scorn of your teachers
You will isolate yourself, afraid to seek wise counsel and godly help
You will wonder if you can return to the assembled congregation of the people of God.

Be assured there is hope. How do I know this? The Proverbs are written so that those who are far down the road to destruction will have their conscience awakened by the Holy Spirit. God revives and the soul by the love that reaches all the way down to them, offered through the sacrifice of Jesus.

The Proverbs are a warning to the people of God to keep them from sin. The Proverbs speak to those who have stumbled far along the path of ruin, calling them to repent and turn to God. Jesus is your Healer. Jesus is your very great hope, Who bears away your sin and your shame. In Jesus Christ, the fool you once were, is now buried through the waters of baptism. The new life that is yours in Christ takes hold of you and renews you.

These words are also written so that members of the church are reminded to be merciful to the wayward man and the once-adulterous woman. James reminds believers that it is holy work to bring back to Jesus one who wanders from the truth. Proverbs remind us that even the righteous fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked fall and stay in their ruin (Proverbs 24:16). Who in the church will be patient, gracious, and helpful? What the Bible exposes is how absolutely wicked each man, each woman and each child is. The heart is in constant warfare against its own soul which is leaning on Jesus. Believers must know the depths of their own depravity before they can truly understand the grace they’ve received in Jesus and therefore the compassionate grace they can extend to those who need it.

O LORD, if You kept track of our every sinful thought, every careless word, every act of iniquity, and all the good we knew we should have done, but didn’t, not one of us would ever be able to lift our eyes to You. But You have lavished extravagant forgiveness on Your people through the costly cross of Jesus Christ. You have punished Your beloved Son, so that all who turn to You are now called beloved sons and daughters of the Most High God. No wonder You are feared! No wonder the Spirit Who reveals this truth motivates forgiven believers so that they eagerly and gladly obey the commandments of God—which are for them the path of thankfulness and the path of life regained. Forgive us, Compassionate Father, for all the times we have kept a record of the sins of others, while we are at the same time counting on You to forget ours. As restored sinners, every single one of us, equally indebted to Your marvellous, matchless grace, we wait upon You, O God. Restore us to Yourself in love. Restore us to one another in true community. Restore us to be a people who do not keep track of sins, but instead deliberately celebrate every wayward one who returns to the fold of our God. Restore us to a deep and abiding love so that the world around us gasps and says, “See how they love one another!” And by Your grace many more are added to Your people, broken people restored in Christ Jesus our King. Amen.

https://youtu.be/slQ6MTJLU4I?si=ST3w9LmSdXoHYTHx Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

March 11, 2026

March 11, 2026 -- Proverbs 5:1-2 -- What are wisdom, understanding, and discretion?

March 11, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding.
that you may keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
Proverbs 5:1-2 ESV

Wisdom. It can also be translated as “a spirit of skill”, as it is in Exodus 28:3. There wisdom is the ability to make the garments for Aaron the priest. Wisdom is gained from years of attentiveness to the word of God. Wisdom is not gained through a study guide (like “wisdom for dummies”); it is the skill gained through a lifetime of practice, honing, obedience. The father teaches his son out of the abundance of his experience interacting with Scriptures and then following through with what he’s read in daily life, walking with God, in learning submission through trials and discipline.

When wisdom and understanding are combined, taught with persistence through godly instructors, the one who hears it gains discretion. Discretion carries the sense of knowing one’s purpose. Discretion is employing both wisdom and understanding so that one’s words and deeds line up in godly action. Discretion is that sense of purpose one has in life. Wisdom and understanding teach me, I am made by God. I am made for God’s glory. My life has meaning and I exercise the fullness of the purposes for which I was made when I live for God.

The work of Jesus was to live out all righteousness. He fulfilled the requirements of God for a holy, godly life. Jesus’ every word, deed, and ambition combined to serve God. He lived with holy discretion—learning from the wisdom of His earthly father, living in obedience to the teaching of His mother so that His life was acceptable as the sacrifice which takes away our sin. At the cross of Jesus Christ, all our failures in wisdom, in understanding, in discretion, in knowledge are placed on Jesus, the spotless lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. God the Father punished Him in our place. All His righteousness (His fulfilment of the law’s demands) is credited to us. He paid for our sins: past, present, and future.

In view of Jesus’ great act of life-long, willing obedience to His Father and then, in our place taking on the full weight of God’s punishment against our sins, we dedicate ourselves to wisdom, and understanding, so that we can keep discretion. Having been instructed in the vast love of God shown to us in Christ, our purpose is to pour out our lives in thankfulness to the Father, for the gift of Jesus and this in the power of the Holy Spirit. When you mess up, fess up. When you struggle, know that you are in most important battle of your life—being drained of the poison of evil and filled to the full measure of purity in Christ.

Father in heaven, help me to seek Your kingdom and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. May my spiritual health be upper most in my mind and guide my actions. I confess I know this is the right thing to pray for, but even as I pray it, I don’t desire it as much as I ought to desire it. Merciful Father, by the purifying work of Your Spirit, lead me to Jesus, and thoroughly cleanse me from the inside out. Lead me, Spirit of God, so that instruction becomes tested and refined and ultimately becomes mature, true, godly wisdom. Amen.

https://youtu.be/vCcGqMHndxo?si=migq74_zKbQaDd_G Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain

March 10, 2026

March 10, 2026 -- Proverbs 5:1 -- Instructing children in the faith

March 10, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

My son, be attentive to my wisdom
Proverbs 5:1a ESV

Be honest, how often does your attention wander when you should be listening closely to the word of God? It is so easy to take meandering mental detours when we should be listening closely. Recently I drove from Ontario to New Brunswick. While driving I had a wonderful chance to listen to many teaching podcasts. I listened to a pair of sermons given by the late Tim Keller. Keller noted that Christians must grow from childhood to maturity in the faith. The Proverbs address the listener as “my son”. There are instructions which apply to youth, to men, and to those who are mature seniors in the faith.

Consider youthful enthusiasm and the Christian faith. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” I John 2:1. Children are impulsive. They need ready instruction in confession and forgiveness. They are restless. Their emotions are not governed, as with those who are maturing in the fruit of the Spirit and walking with self-control. Little wonder then that so many proverbs start with “O sons” or “my son”; it is as if a faithful, godly parent needs to regain the attention of his little listener who is straying.

The son must be attentive—it is a command. (Again, the command to be attentive is an instruction that is frequently used, ie: Proverbs 4:1, 20, and now here 5:1). Little ones have short attention spans. Are likely to wander in their thoughts. They see something that catches the eye and they’re ready to get up mid conversation and follow their impulses. To mature in the faith requires persistent, godly teaching. To mature in the faith, one must also govern his mind, thoughts, and actions. Those who persist in fighting their willful rebellion against God will find delight in Him.

Father in heaven, blessed be Your Name!
Thank You for the patient, godly, instructors who persist in leading young Christians in the way of righteousness.
Father, Source of All Good, thank You for those who are young in the faith, hungry to learn and excited in knowing more about You.
Glorious God, thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Spirit of God, quell the rising emotive interruptions that would disturb learning; and give great calmness to those who are leading young Christians in the way everlasting.
Triune God, let little ones grow and mature in Christ; young men grow and mature in their ability to fight the tempter’s power, and fathers and mothers in the faith reflect their ever-deepening knowledge of God to those around them so that those who follow in their steps may be discipled in Christ. Amen.

https://youtu.be/KU5ct0iY-Ds?si=kVGrFbOggsgopyol Am I Soldier of the Cross

March 06, 2026

March 6, 2026 -- Proverbs 4:23 -- What good or evil is flowing out of you?

March 06, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 ESV

Standing all alone it seems like an odd little verse. Lately we’ve been examining the instruction of godly fathers and the teaching of mothers who are faithful to God. We’ve noted there are two pathways: the highway of evil that leads to destruction and the road of wisdom that deepens one’s relationship with God for all eternity. In many ways this is a summary statement. A key reminder that what you’ve put into your heart will inevitably flow out from it.

Perhaps this was the background of wisdom Jesus used as He taught:
How can you speak good when you are evil?
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
The good person out of his good treasure
brings forth good,
and the evil person out of his evil treasure
brings forth evil.
(Matthew 12:34b-35)
What you see, what you hear, what you read, what you think about, what group of people are your closest companions—all of these will affect, or infect your heart. If you are not constantly guarding your heart, vigilantly, carefully, thoroughly, you’ll be pouring the poison of evil into the deepest part of your decision-making self. Soon all you desire, think about, see, and do confirms the ever-widening pool of corruption in your heart.

However, the man who trusts in God, walking in His ways, opening himself up to all godly instruction will be guarding the treasured well-spring of his heart. A man’s heart is made pure by Jesus through faith in Him. A godly woman is guarded in purity by her utter submission to the Holy Spirit. Every godly person carefully scrutinizes all the input of the world. That means to guard his mind by filtering through his faith all that his eyes and ears pick up. Whatever is ungodly, vile, or good-seeming-but-is-actually-evil, will be flagged and discarded. Why?

First of all, our lives were bought at the cost of the blood of Jesus Christ. He bore the full weight of God’s anger against our sin. What other response could there ever be but the profound and glorious desire to stay within that pleasant place where we’re counted the beloved of God?
Second, people who know we are Christians are looking at us. Does your life really reflect the fullness of your awe-filled, profound gratitude to the Living God for His glorious rescue? If not, then they’ll know you are as much a fraud as the next person and your faith is worthless.
Third, as Jesus said, the heart, the source of your life from which flows either the poison of evil infection; or, guarded from it flows the springs of life. Fourth, Jesus Himself said He is a spring of water that wells up to eternal life (John 4:14). When people who know you as you were, see you as you are in Christ, it will be obvious, only Jesus, the Savior could have effected that massive change in you. God will be praised. When people who see you in Christ and know you are His servant, see your long-term faithfulness to Jesus, they will know, this could only come from a soul that is purified by a power greater than your own willpower.

Father in heaven thank You for Jesus Who is the spring of water welling up to eternal life. Holy Father and Blessed Savior, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit Who has opened up within the life of every believer this deep well of life, wisdom, and holiness. We confess how readily we pollute this spring in thought, word, deed and even in good deeds we know we should do but leave undone. Oh Father, at the start of this new day, cleanse us once again, as we confess our sins. Renew in us the vitality of the waters springing up in us to eternal life so that from that treasured source we bring forth good in whatever we do our say. Triune God, to You be the glory, now and forever more. Amen.

https://youtu.be/CyHbdqB8kto?si=eeAcRYRzJjtvvuN3 I Surrender All

Richard T. Vander Vaart

Richard T. Vander Vaart

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Richard T. Vander Vaart

April 3, 2026 -- Matthew 27:50 -- Why Did Jesus Die?

April 2, 2026 -- Matthew 27:1-2 -- Why is it called "Good" Friday?

April 1, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:15-16 -- In all the political tumult of this life, see Him, Jesus the Redeemer King

March 31, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:12-13 -- Who are your people: misery or contentment?!

March 30, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:10-11 -- Greatest treasure: wisdom

March 28, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:1-4 -- Can you hear it? Wisdom is calling you

March 26, 2026 -- II Peter 1:16-21 -- Faith Comes by Hearing

March 25, 2026 -- I Thessalonians 5:18 -- Getting filled with thankfulness

March 23, 2026 -- Proverbs 7:6-9 -- Spotting the seeds of temptation to sin

March 22, 2026 -- Matthew 11:29 -- Jesus' invitation

March 21, 2026 -- Proverbs 7:1-5 -- Armed and ready for the inevitable temptation

March 19, 2026 -- Proverbs 6:20, 23a -- Godly instruction from father and mother

March 17, 2026 -- Proverbs 6:6-11 -- What Can I learn from an Ant? Seriously?!

March 16, 2026 -- Proverbs 5:21-23 -- A pinprick of evil and the consequences

March 15, 2026 -- John 15:15 -- Jesus, Friend

March 14, 2026 -- Luke 6:27-28 -- Whatdja mean I gotta love my enemies?

March 12, 2026 -- Proverbs 5:3-14 -- Sin and Restoration

March 11, 2026 -- Proverbs 5:1-2 -- What are wisdom, understanding, and discretion?

March 10, 2026 -- Proverbs 5:1 -- Instructing children in the faith

March 6, 2026 -- Proverbs 4:23 -- What good or evil is flowing out of you?

Richard T. Vander Vaart

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